Men believed to be pirates in a boat off the Somali coast (file photo)

Somali pirates have kidnapped a Danish family of five, including three children, as they were sailing their yacht around the Indian Ocean.

The sailboat was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday and is currently anchored off Harardhere, a town in the Mudug province of central Somalia, the Press TV correspondent in Mogadishu reported.

Located some 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, Harardhere is a main base for Somali pirates to launch attacks against boats, ships and vessels.

Meanwhile, the pirates have warned that they will kill the hostages in case a rescue operation is carried out.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lene Espersen has expressed concerns over the fate of the Danish family abducted onboard the yacht.

The waters off the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia are considered the world's most dangerous for persistent piracy attempts in the area.

Attacks by the heavily armed Somali pirates in speedboats have prompted some of the world's largest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and send cargo vessels around southern Africa, causing a hike in shipping costs.

Somalia, located in the strategic Horn of Africa, does not have a functional government, and the Transitional Federal Government lacks much control beyond the capital city Mogadishu.